In July, 33 young Palestinians came together for a three day Encompass IntraPal seminar to learn how to create a society that supports peaceful resistance and activism. The seminar was organised and facilitated by Encompass’ Palestinian Coordinator Karen Abuzant and supported by IntraPal alumni Sariyah, Kussaey and Khaled. Participants included Encompass alumni as well as new recruits from a variety of communities in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The purpose of the seminar was to empower participants to think creatively and reflect on the needs of their communities. Participants were provided with a space to discuss how citizens can best be supported and empowered to continue and build on peaceful resistance and activist movements in Palestine. Participants were also introduced to methods of active listening and trauma/stress healing.

This seminar included other active community leaders and used Open Space Technology, allowing participants to create and manage the seminar’s agenda, as well as Emotional Freedom Techniques to manage trauma and stress. Alongside dialogue sessions, the seminar included a film screening of ‘My Neighborhood’, a film about Sheikh Jarrah and a Q&A with the Just Vision Education and Outreach Coordinator and local news presenter Rula Salameh. The films created during our ‘Sense of Identity’ filmmaking workshop were also shown, and the creators of those films talked about the process and how it felt to represent themselves and their communities artistically. IntraPal alumnus Suma Qawasma, a resident of Sheikh Jarrah, and activist for its preservation, also presented what she and the youth of Sheikh Jarrah are doing to keep their neighbourhood in their hands, including meeting with the UN. She also explained how this initiative began with a simple hashtag movement on social media and held a Q&A in hopes to encourage others toward activism in their respective communities.